


Take Me to the Sky

by hellosweetie17



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Kissing, M/M, Past Injury, Promises, Volleyball Practice, a dash of fluff, saying goodbye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 01:01:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21401557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellosweetie17/pseuds/hellosweetie17
Summary: Akaashi knows it’s inevitable, but it still hurts to say goodbye.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Take Me to the Sky

Bokuto-san’s voice had always sounded far away, even when he whispered sweet nothings in Akaashi’s ear or crashed into his thoughts with a boisterous, “Hey! Hey! Hey!” He was never quiet, never calm and yet, the things he said, the way he laughed, the way he vied for Akaashi’s attention was nothing more than an echo.

Akaashi made sure to listen anyway.

Even now, he was straining to catch hints of Bokuto-san’s presence on the court.

The volleyball was light against his fingers, just a touch as he sent it flying along the length of the net. And Akaashi could almost hear it: Bokuto-san’s loud, “Did you see that, Akaashi? Did you see it!”

_ No _ Akaashi thought, because the ball was still on their side of the net slowly rolling across the floor.

Shaking his head, Akaashi grabbed another ball from the bin. He looked at Bokuto-san and immediately had to bite his lip to suppress a smile; the quivering pout and crocodile tears pouring from his captain’s eyes were oddly adorable, but annoying nevertheless.

Akaashi clicked his tongue, then passed the ball to Bokuto-san who, in Akaashi’s mind, caught it with ease. “How about you throw it higher this time?”

“Fine,” Bokuto-san mumbled, and Akaashi rolled his eyes as he dragged his feet to the back line. He jumped and spun around, landing back on his feet with a luminous smile. For a moment, Akaashi forgot to breathe.

“Okay, so,” Bokuto-san started, bouncing the ball on the floor with a slap of his hand, “I’ll do it if you promise me one thing.”

“If you plan on asking me to wash your practice uniform, the answer’s no.”

Bokuto-san threw his head back and laughed; his “Ha!” caressed Akaashi’s skin like a cool, soothing breeze, but the sound trailed off before it reached his ears.

“You’re funny.”

“Thank you.”

After a shaky breath—an obvious attempt to stifle another laugh—Bokuto-san glanced at him. To Akaashi, he looked strangely shy under the pink dusting the tops of his cheeks and gaze glittering with excitement. His question was anything but bashful: it was a bold, endearing, voluminous enough to fill the entire gymnasium.

“Will you always love me, Akaashi?”

Akaashi blinked. Sure, Bokuto-san was a romantic at heart, shamelessly affectionate with his sweet, goofy words and soft kisses delicately placed wherever Akaashi would let him touch. His love was all-encompassing, loud and thunderous. He preferred to act upon it rather than declare it.

“I always will, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi told him. “I promise.”

“Good!” Bokuto-san winked, then threw the ball into the air.

Time slowed to a crawl. Out of the corner of his eye, Akaashi could see Bokuto-san running forward while the ball spun in a swirl of white, red, and green overhead. As the ball neared, Akaashi decided there were two things he could do before tossing it back to his captain: he could either give Bokuto-san the perfect opportunity to spike the ball, or take what he himself so desperately craved.

Akaashi jumped in sync with Bokuto-san, and just as his fingers touched the ball, he dumped it over the net. He landed with a squeak of his shoes.

And like every other time he pulled a stunt, Bokuto-san gave him what he needed—another laugh, another smile, another tackle that sent them crashing to the floor in a messy heap.

“You’re mean, you know that?” Bokuto-san said, fingers sliding into Akaashi’s black curls while he peppered his face with quick, flirty kisses. 

“Yes, yes I—” Akaashi cut off in a gasp, his blue eyes widening when teeth nipped below his ear. “Bokuto-san! Not—not here!”

There was a sigh against his neck; the feather-light breath sent goosebumps rippling across his flushed skin.

Bokuto-san whined a drawn-out, “_Fine_” as he pulled away.

Akaashi looked up at him, quite unimpressed with the proud, cocky gleam sparkling in his eyes, the sly smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Both were as aggravating as they were enchanting, and Akaashi basked in the familiar warmth blooming inside of him, cascading over his body from his head to the tips of his toes.

He placed a hand on Bokuto-san’s chest, pushing ever so slightly. “Let’s finish practice.”

“Wait, one more thing,” Bokuto-san said, and Akaashi raised a brow. “Will you miss me? When I’m gone, I mean.”

“Yes, Bokuto-san, I’ll miss you.”

His captain shot to his feet, reaching out a hand to drag Akaashi along with him. Once he was standing, Bokuto-san kissed him lightly on the lips before picking up another ball and scampering away. Akaashi watched him go.

Suddenly, Bokuto-san split into two forms. The room tilted on its axis and spun with dizzying speed. Akaashi brought a hand to his head, squeezing his eyes closed while blood rushed through the ringing in his ears and his heart pounded in his chest. A wave of nausea slammed into him, and he nearly doubled over in pain.

It was over quicker than it had begun. He even managed to recover before Bokuto-san noticed something was wrong. 

“Are you ready?”

_ No, he wasn’t_, Akaashi thought as he nodded, _because this was where it always started, where it always struck him when it was too late_.

Because, Bokuto-san was leaving. It was time to say goodbye; time to finally let go; time for Akaashi to accept that from here on out, he would be alone.

Bokuto-san threw the ball in the air.

Then, the tears began to fall.

Fear nipped at Akaashi’s toes, winding its way up his legs until it delved into his chest, cracking open his ribs and tearing his heart into a million pieces.

Warm tears splashed against his cheeks as the ball left his hands in a wide arch.

_ “Will you miss me, Akaashi? When I’m gone, I mean.” _

_ “Yes, Bokuto-san, I’ll miss you.” _

The sound of Bokuto-san’s shoes squeaking grew fainter as he ran toward the net.

Akaashi watched Bokuto-san bend his knees and jump. He threw his arm back and from then on, it was all in slow motion: as his arm whipped forward, little by little he began to fade, and his hand went right through the ball; it dropped to the floor with a smack.

Bokuto-san was gone.

_ “Yes, Bokuto-san, I’ll miss you.” _

The ball bounced to the other side of the gym. Akaashi’s eyes followed it, watching it rolling until it collided with the wall.

Akaashi often wondered how his mind had managed to create Bokuto-san: someone who was bursting with life, someone who lit up Akaashi’s world with a single smile, someone who made his heart pound in his chest and butterflies erupt in his belly.

Someone who was the only person Akaashi had ever loved and loved him in return.

Bokuto-san was, as his family and doctors had told him, a mere figment of his imagination—a coping mechanism after a devastating blow to the head.

Closing his eyes, Akaashi willed the tears away. His lips parted around a shuddering sigh while goosebumps and chills raced across his skin.

He wasn’t sure when he retrieved the ball, but it was there between his hands when he opened his eyes. He grit his teeth, glaring at it. A rush of fury crashed into him, and a scream crawled up his throat. Akaashi wanted the world to hear his pain, to share the burden of his loss, but he swallowed it down with a gasp.

Fresh tears splattered on the ball, stray drops rolling down the side to land on the floor. Akaashi dug his nails into it before exhaling a sigh. It was time to say goodbye.

“Yes, Bokuto-san, I’ll always miss you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! ❤️
> 
> Join me!
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/goodbyesweetie) || [Tumblr](https://hello-sweetie17.tumblr.com)


End file.
